Cheater, Cheater
by The Fairie Queen
Summary: Tyki asks Allen to play poker, but it's not money he's putting on the table. 19th century AU, non-exorcist and non-Noah.


**A/N:** Response to the prompt "Kiss Me" I received on Tumblr. This was my very first poker pair request, so hang in there! Hopefully it turned out alright. XD This is an AU that takes place in the 19th century like DGM, however there are no exorcists or noah.

 _ **Cheater, Cheater**_

Tyki couldn't say he was disappointed to see the kid show up. In fact, he'd been anticipating it.

A cigarette between his lips, Tyki sucked in some of the smoke before inhaling softly. As he exhaled, his molten-colored eyes flickered back to where the boy was. Snowy hair. A scar on his face. _Allen Walker_ – that was his name. At least, that was the name the boy had given the first time he had ever come into the pub, as well as every time after that.

Tyki wordlessly turned his attention back to his cards. He had four nine's: a club, a spade, a heart, and a diamond. Then a three in clubs. A four of a kind, and a strong hand. Tyki smirked.

One of the men play – a middle aged guy with sandy brown hair – noticed Tyki's expression. He eyed Tyki skeptically. "Bet that smirk is a bluff."

Tyki's brow arched, and he took the cigarette from his lips. "You sure about that?" He asked. He was rather amused by the accusation, and a glimmer of laughter seemed to spill through his gaze.

The player frowned. He looked as though he were trying to gage if Tyki actually _was_ bluffing, but his expression grew confident. He showed his cards. An eight, a nine, a ten, a jack, and a queen – a straight.

It was a good combo, but not good enough to beat Tyki's. Tyki put his cards down, his amusement increasing when he saw the other player's smugness falter.

"Better pay up," Tyki suggested, as he leaned back in chair.

The player sighed, before reaching into his pocket. "You don't want to do another round?"

Tyki's eyes didn't leave the man's, but his mind briefly returned to the snowy-haired individual who had recently arrived. "Nah, I got another person to play."

Shrugging, the defeated player tossed a box of cigarettes to Tyki. "Enjoy your nicotine then."

Tyki pocketed the cigarettes. He took one last hit off of his current smoke, though Tyki had just about used this one up; he often made sure to pace himself while smoking. There was just no pleasure in a rushed smoke.

Placing the bud in the ash tray, Tyki stood. He turned to see where the boy from earlier had gone, and it didn't take long to spot him. Just a few tables away Allen was seated at a table that could have potentially sat four, and looked to be engaged in some kind of card game with another person. Tyki noticed that Allen's opponent looked rather frustrated.

As Tyki headed in that direction, he was able to catch some of what was being said.

"Man, you gotta be cheating or something!" The opponent was starting to argue. "There's no way you were able to pull a royal straight like that!"

"I did say I wouldn't go easy on you," Allen replied, seemingly unfazed by the other player's agitation. A small smile then appeared on his face. "But we can always go for a round two if you think this one was unfair."

The other player only appeared more aggravated by Allen's words, and his eyes narrowed. "Listen here, if you think you can get away with _cheating-_ "

"What's all this about?" Tyki cut in, as he slid into one of the vacant chairs at the table.

Allen's eyes darted in Tyki's direction, wary and distrusting. The other player merely looked somewhat caught off guard before irritation returned to his expression as he nudged his thumb in Allen's direction. " _This_ bloke here," The other player seethed, "Is cheating me out."

Tyki raised his eyebrow, feigning surprise. "You mean _Allen_?" Tyki asked, as he nodded his head in Allen's direction. "You must be mistaken – I mean, just look at that sweet face."

Allen whipped his head in Tyki's direction. "What are you-" He started to hiss quietly, before Tyki cut him off.

"Anyways, he's the most honest person I know here.," Tyki continued, before eying the man with a challenging expression. "Unless of course you can prove he's cheating."

At this, the man faltered. His gaze flickering in-between Allen and Tyki before he scowled; he then angrily tossed several gold pieces onto the table. "I don't have time for this," He huffed, before he stood and abruptly stalked off.

Once the other player had left, Allen swiftly took the coins before sharply looking at Tyki. "What was that for?" He asked. His tone was cold, with the mask of politeness dissipating.

Tyki leaned back in his chair languidly. "Aw. No 'thank you from the bottom of my heart'?" He teased.

Allen's eyes – a strange, silvery purple – narrowed. "No. And I didn't ask you to come over here either."

Lips upturning into something of a half-smirk, Tyki's molten-colored eyes remained locked onto Allen. "I know," He spoke. "Just wanted to give some friendly backup. You know, since he was accusing you of cheating."

Tyki then paused, as he glanced at Allen's card deck that had remained on the table. "Which," Tyki went on, "I'm sure you _did_ do."

Allen tore his gaze from Tyki's. He took his deck, and put it into his coat pocket. "Yet you gave him some bullshit about me being most _honest_ person you know…"

Tyki shrugged. "I said the _most_ honest I know," He clarified. "Doesn't mean you can't be a cheater. You're just more honest a cheater than all the other bastards I know around here."

Allen gave Tyki an unimpressed look. "If that's your logic," He muttered, before sobering up a little. "You didn't come over here just to help though. So what do you want?"

Sighing, Tyki closed his eyes. "Do you _have_ to be so accusatory? I only wanted to see if you were up for a round of poker."

Intrigue flickered in Allen's eyes, before skepticism took over. Allen frowned. "Why? I've already played you before, and you lose every time."

A dry laugh escaped Tyki. "I do. But I want to play again. Just not for money."

Allen crossed his arms. "Sorry. I only play if there's money on the table."

"I know. You nearly took all of mine. Plus my jacket. And my shirt," Tyki reminisced. He looked at Allen curiously. "Have you worn it? That was a nice shirt. You better not have let it go to waste."

Allen rolled his eyes, but Tyki thought he caught sight of a blush. In the dim lighting, it was hard to tell. "It was nice, and it made for a quick sell. Don't think anything of it," Allen spoke, before pausing. His eyes flickered to Tyki questioningly. "What were you going to bet this time?"

Tyki smiled. He knew Allen wouldn't have been able to walk away from a gamble. The boy might have exhibited a polite face to some, but Tyki had seen enough to know that Allen was too much of a card-playing devil to walk away from a game. The boy hated losing as much as he hated missing out on a chance to gain something (preferably money, and Tyki couldn't help but assume the boy must have been in some kind of debt; he didn't strike Tyki as the type to say have an addiction or anything).

When he saw Allen was waiting expectantly, Tyki answered. "If I win, I get one request. You have to do it."

"Absolutely _not_ ," Allen interjected. "I'm not going to agree to this when you could tell me to do anything after."

"So you're afraid you'll lose?" Tyki questioned. He appeared thoroughly amused by Allen's reaction.

"No," Allen countered, though he sounded frustrated. "I just don't _trust_ you."

"Fair enough. Though knowing will take the fun out of it, don't you think?"

"No, I don't. So what do I have to do if you win?"

Tyki sighed. God, the boy could be such a moody little thing sometimes. Tyki wasn't about to let Allen completely ruin his fun though. His eyes moved to meet Allen's. "Kiss me."

Despite the fact that he wasn't even drinking anything, Allen coughed as though he had suddenly choked on something. Complete bafflement took over his expression, and he started at Tyki disbelievingly. "I'm sorry – _what_?"

It was difficult for Tyki not to laugh in that moment. Allen's expression was _priceless._ But, if Tyki laughed the boy might have gotten angry and flustered, and left. Tyki didn't want him to leave just yet, so he simply smiled. "If I win, I want you to kiss me."

"Have you lost your _mind_?" Allen asked, still in something of a state of being shocked. "Why in the blazing hell would I agree to that?"

Oh, Tyki could have spent _hours_ watching Allen get this psyched out. The boy's face had even colored to a noticeable pink. Tyki pretended not to notice. "Well, if _you_ win, then you could tell me to do something and I have to do it. Obviously it doesn't have to be the same as what I'm asking."

This explanation caused Allen to hesitate, and he actually appeared to be considering it. However, he wasn't quick to agree to anything yet. "How do I know you won't back out or break your word? I've seen you cheat others out here too, you know."

"How do I know you won't break _yours_?" Tyki challenged, voice smooth. "Guess we'll have to rely on the honor system, won't we?"

Allen didn't answer immediately. Tyki had a point. He exhaled. "You know I'm going to probably beat you, right?"

"If you cheat, then definitely," Tyki mused aloud. "Maybe you won't this time."

Allen said nothing, but apparently had decided to go along with Tyki's "bet." He reached for his deck of cards.

Tyki stopped him. "Not your deck," He said, before pulling out his own. "This time we use mine."

Allen seemed to freeze a little. He almost looked as though he wanted to argue, but instead he slowly put his own deck back. "Fine," Allen conceded, though his tone was somewhat grudgingly.

Tyki tossed them to Allen suddenly. Allen almost missed catching them, but managed to grab the deck. His eyes were puzzled as he looked at Tyki.

Understanding Allen's confusion, Tyki explained. "You can still shuffle them."

Allen narrowed his eyes, but remained quiet. He started to shuffle. As he did so, he looked down at the cards. He felt himself tense slightly when he saw there was a small pentacle in the bottom corner of each card – meaning it wasn't a standard deck. It was some kind of custom one.

Allen internally cursed. He couldn't use his backup cards if the deck was of some unique design. Allen always kept an extra hand in his sleeve, slipping them out as he drew his hand – but if Tyki had each card marked…

Tyki watched Allen's irritated expression. He seemed to know what Allen was thinking, and smirked. "Don't worry. I'm playing fairly, and you're the one dealing the cards."

This wasn't exactly comforting news to Allen, but he couldn't really back out now. Swiftly, he continued to shuffle before he finally dealt them each a hand. First Tyki, then himself.

Allen placed the deck down, and picked up his hand. Tyki did the same.

Tyki looked at his hand, then back to Allen. "We can do this quickly if you want. Show our hands, and end the round there," Tyki suggested.

Allen was still looking at his hand, but then looked back at Tyki. He laid his cards down. He had two threes (a heart and a club), a joker, a queen, and an ace.

Allen looked up. "Your turn."

Tyki said nothing as he laid his cards down. Two nines (a diamond and a club), two fives (a heart and a diamond), and a three in clubs. A two pair in opposition to Allen's one pair combination.

Tyki crossed his arms, and smirked. "Guess I win this round."

Allen's expression was pensive, and he looked mildly annoyed. "Guess you do," He muttered, before sliding the deck across the table to Tyki.

Tyki took his deck, and put it away. He then stood up from the table and made a move to leave.

Allen was instantly confused. "Where are you going?"

"Bed. I have a job to work in the morning," Tyki answered simply as he put his coat on.

The answered did nothing for Allen's bewilderment. "What about-"

"The kiss?" Tyki asked, before he chuckled softly. "I don't want it yet."

Allen appeared to be at a loss for words, and when he said nothing Tyki continued. "That was a pretty weak hand you had. You could have folded."

These words seemed to snap Allen out of his silence. "What are you getting at?"

Tyki shrugged. "Even with a different deck, you don't lose _that_ easily. I don't think you minded losing."

Allen grew defensive. "You don't know that."

"No," Tyki admitted. "But I think you'll kiss me eventually."

As Tyki said this, his eyes met Allen's. Allen's whole body immediately went still, and for the third time that night Tyki saw a flush of pink on Allen's cheeks. Tyki smiled fondly.

It was also Tyki who first broke his gaze away. "Don't get into too much trouble tonight," He advised before leaving the pub.

He'd see Allen Walker again soon.


End file.
